Mid Atlantic Arts has posted the job opportunity for our open Executive Director position. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, August 1, 2023. Interested candidates can find the Opportunity Statement and application information here: https://www.creativeevolutions.com/MidAtlantic.

Mid Atlantic Arts has engaged Creative Evolutions to lead the search for our next Executive Director. Creative Evolutions describes itself as a “human-centered adaptive ecosystem that creates actionable solutions for creative individuals and organizations.” Mid Atlantic was particularly impressed by Creative Evolutions’ approach to prioritizing equity, incorporating innovative inclusive and equitable practices into every phase of its work, and its posture to challenge Mid Atlantic’s preconceived notions of what its next leader might be.

The search process will include direct compensation paid to semifinalist and finalist candidates, and a panel of industry leaders who will both aid in finalist selection and partner with the new Executive Director in their first year. We encourage qualified applicants to consider applying for the position, or to recommend potential candidates to Mid Atlantic or Creative Evolutions. Creative Evolutions has a specific compensation policy around people who recommend candidates in search processes, which can be found here.

The Board has appointed a Search Committee to lead the transition process. The members of that team are:

• Romona Riscoe-Benson (Co-Chair), Director of Corporate and Community Impact, PECO, Philadelphia, PA
• Mara Manus (Co-Chair), Executive Director, New York State Council on the Arts, New York, NY
• Anita Gonzalez, Ph.D., Professor of performing arts and African American studies at Georgetown University and a co-Founder of Georgetown’s Racial Justice Institute, Washington, DC
• Nicholas Hawkins, Attorney, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, Baltimore, MD
• James Lemons, Executive Director, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, NY
• Donna Walker-Kuhne, President, Walker International Communications Group, Brooklyn, NY

In addition to issuing the RFP for the executive search services, the Board has selected an Interim Executive Director to provide guidance and support during the search process. Veronique Le Melle is a highly qualified executive with over 30 years of experience in arts management and her career reflects great success in transforming organizations, building community engagement at all levels, and forging working collaborations among arts organizations, governmental bodies, and economic development initiatives. Her areas of expertise include but are not limited to strategic and financial planning, organizational management, securing and distributing funding, marketing, and staff management and mentoring. She is a results-oriented leader and team player with excellent communication and organizational skills, coupled with effective human relations and supervisory credentials. 

The Search Committee hopes to be able to announce the incumbent Executive Director in fall of 2023.